1. DESCRIBING ADJETIVES: APPEARANCE AND CHARACTER
HEIGHT BUILD AGE FACE EYES HAIR CLOTHES CHARACTER
Tall Fat Young Round Big round eyes Bald Casual Happy
Short Slim Old Square Large Straight Scruffy Sad
Medium height Thin Middle-aged Wrinkles Small Curly Smart Boring
Normal height Plump Teenager Scares Bright Spiky Trendy Wonderful
Well-built In 20s, 30s, 40s Freckles narrow wavy Tidy Worried
Sun-tanned messy Careless
pale Dull
Ambitious
Generous
Loyal
Moody
Selfish
Cheerful
Stupid
Tolerant
Friendly
Shy
Intelligent
OTHER FEATURES
Big, small, large, round,
Nose, mouth, moustache, beard, glasses.

3. Introduction
This is a compilation of almost all the words we could think of used to describe physical
appearance: After studying it you should be able to make good descriptions of people.
Making descriptions in Spanish is very similar to English: EG
He has + (adjective) + (noun)
He is + adjective.
EG: He has blue eyes = tiene los ojos azules
He is bald = Es calvo
Note: The vocabulary on this web page was compiled when I lived with three Spanish girls in
Burgos Spain. It survived on some scraps of paper for 8 years before we published it on
internet. The girls were studying "filología inglesa" and I was still a beginner in Spanish. This
page is dedicated to Maite, Maria Carmen and Isabel.
face = la cara/el rostro
facial features rasgos
she has a thin face tiene la/una cara delgada
an oval face una cara ovalada
a round face una cara redonda
clean-shaven bien afeitado
a bloated face una cara hinchada/abotagada/abotargada
a cherubic face una cara angelical
a chubby face una cara regordete
chubby-cheeked mofletudo
a chubby/podgy face una cara rechoncha, regordete, gordinflona
he had a weather-beaten face tenía un rostro curtido
a face lift un lifting, un estiramiento facial
she has freckles tiene pecas, es pecosa
spots/pimples granos
blackheads espinillas
moles lunares
warts verrugas
wrinkles arugas
rosy cheeks mejillas sonrosadas

4. acne acne
a birthmark un antojo/una mancha de nacimiento
a double chin una papada
hollow cheeks las mejillas hundidas
a dimple un hoyuelo
smooth-cheeked/smooth-faced lampiño
a deadpan face una cara de póquer/de palo
a doleful face una cara compungida
a sad face una cara triste
a serious face una cara seria
a smiling face una cara sonriente
a happy face una cara alegre
smooth-cheeked/smooth-faced lampiño
to go red in the face (with anger/heat) ponerse colorado/rojo
to go red/to blush (with embarassment) sonrojarse/ruborizarse
he looks worried parece preocupado
frightened asustado
surprised sorprendido
a smile una sonrisa
a smirk una sonrisita
a frown el ceño fruncido
nose = la nariz
a bulbous nose una nariz protuberante
a hooked nose una nariz aguileña
a big nose una nariz grande
a turned-up/snub nose una nariz respingona
a pointed nose una nariz puntiaguda
a flat nose/a pug nose una nariz chata

5. a lopsided nose una nariz ladeada/torcida
a hooter/conk (colloquial Br. Eng.) una napia
a schnozzle (colloquial Am. Eng.)
to flare your nostrils/to snort resoplar/bufar
eyes = los ojos
she has brown eyes tiene los ojos marrones
hazel color avellana
he has beady eyes tiene los ojos redondos y brillantes como
cuentas
a black eye un ojo morado
red eyes ojos rojizos
bloodshot eyes ojos sanguinolentos/injectados de sangre
to wink guiñar el ojo
to blink pestañear/parpadear
she is cross-eyed es bizca
a squint una bizquera, un estrabismo
she's blind es ciega
he's blind in one eye es tuerto
to go blind quedarse ciego
crow's feet patas de gallo
sunken eyes ojos hundidos
piggy eyes ojitos redondos y brillantes
bulging eyes ojos saltones
slit/slanting eyes ojos achinados
a stye un orzuelo
shifty eyes ojos furtivos
eyebrows = las cejas
arched eyebrows cejas arqueadas

6. bushy eyebrows cejas tupidas
thick eyebrows cejas pobladas
to raise your eyebrows arquear las cejas
eyelashes = las pestañas
false eyelashes pestañas postizas
mouth
harelip labio leporino
chapped lips labios agrietados
buckteeth dientes de conejo/dientes salidos
false teeth dentadura postiza
front teeth paletas/dientes de adelante
wisdom teeth muelas del juicio
to chatter (teeth) castañetear
my teeth are chattering me castañetean los dientes
hair = el pelo/cabello
she has blond hair tiene el pelo rubio
auburn castaño rojizo
she has grey hair es canosa, tiene el pelo canoso, tiene canas
mousy hair el pelo castaño desvaído
she's red-haired/red-headed es pelirrojo
a brunette una morena
streaks mechones
highlights mechitas/reflejos/claritos
dyed hair el pelo teñido
long hair el pelo largo
short hair el pelo corto
shoulder-length hair el pelo hasta los hombros

7. curly hair el pelo rizado
wavy hair el pelo ondulado
frizzy hair el pelo crespo
spiky hair el pelo de punta
she has permed hair se ha hecho un permanente
crimped hair pelo rizado con tenacillas
straight hair el pelo liso
a fringe un flequillo
a parting una raya
a pigtail una trenza
a ponytail una cola
bunches coletas
a bun un moño
lank hair el pelo lacio
dull sin brillo
greasy hair el pelo graso/grasoso
fine fino
she has thick hair tiene mucho pelo/tiene el pelo grueso
dry seco
shiny hair el pelo brillante
split ends las puntas abiertas
dandruff la caspa
a pageboy un peinado/corte a lo paje
a bob una melena
a hairdo un peinado
a crew cut un pelo cortado al rape
sideburns patillas
a wig una peluca

8. a toupée un peluquín, un tupé
bald calvo
a bald patch una calva/una pelada
he's balding se está quedando calvo
build = complexión
thin delgado
she’s got a very good figure tiene una figura estupenda
plump (a nicer way of saying fat) gordito
slim esbelto
fat gordo
a beer belly una panza
chubby regordete/gordinflón/rellenito
strong fuerte
weak flojo
short bajo
tall alto
a hunchback un jorobado
he walks with a limp cojea
medium height de estatura media
medium build de talla media
he's a large man es un hombre corpulento
General Terms
handsome, good-looking, attractive guapo
pretty, good-looking, attractive, lovely guapa, bonita, linda,
he’s quite a hunk está buenísimo
ugly fea/feo
beautiful preciosa, guapísima, lindísima, hermosa, bella

9. Other notes
He looks a bit ______ tiene pinta de delincuente:
he looks like a criminal
In Spanish "tiene pinta de ____" is very common
for giving a general idea about the appearance. tiene pinta de extranjero
See examples on the right: he looks a bit foreign
He looks sad parece triste
Note that when we say how something "seems"
or "looks" (probably because we are not certain)
we use parecer.
a strong- looking man un hombre de apariencia fuerte
clean-shaven bien afeitado